also, podcast 2 is up now.
Topics this week:
1) Why do macros love using adjuncts so much (for more complex reasons than you'd expect)
2) Why selling beer at minimum price doesnt really help anyone (not even the consumer)
http://soundcloud.com/beeraddicted/beeraddicted-podcast-ep-2-why
Nice podcast. I think it's interesting how certain people really fixate on the use of adjuncts by the big brewers. I think it's less about the actual use of adjuncts than it is a way of giving some substance to a very deep, emotional dislike of certain companies that probably has more to do with their position in the market than the actual content of their products.
A lot of people don't realize that the use of adjuncts by American brewers actually has a 19th century historical origin rather than a modern commercial one. Brewers have always adapted to the ingredients available locally, and the styles produced in different areas can even be influenced by the mineral content of the water.
When German immigrants started brewing in America in the 1800s, they naturally looked for two-row barley, which produces all of those smooth German and Czech lagers and pilsners. Unfortunately, two-row barley was scarce in America, so they started using the more plentiful six-row variety. Six-row barley has a higher protein content, which produces cloudy beer with poor shelf-stability. However, they discovered that the use of adjuncts like corn and rice clarified the beer. By reducing the protein content, they were able to produce cleaner beer with better shelf life. Shelf life became a big issue when mid western breweries started shipping beer over the rockies during the California gold rush.
These days, two-row barley is grown in North America, and it can also be imported from Europe. All of the big brewers use two-row for their more upscale offerings. Something like King Cobra or Colt 45 is brewed with all six-row. The grains are a small percentage of the cost of getting a beer to the shelf. It's probably a smaller percentage than the sales tax you're paying on top of Federal, State, and Local excise taxes.
A lot of people think that the American Light Lager is a post-prohibition creation of today's mega brewers, but the history of that style (and the use of adjuncts) really goes back to the early 1800s.
Sorry, I know that's way off-topic, but now you have my $.02.
) on the back of the throat. Same price as Hoptimum at $10 for a 4 pack but not in the same league. 
